MSU Lady Netters Down Troy; Host South Alabama Sunday

Friday, February 22

Starkville

2:00 p.m.

Mississippi State

Troy

MSU Women's Tennis Travels To South Carolina, Hosts Florida

MSU Lady Netters Down Troy; Host South Alabama Sunday

February 22, 2008 | Women's Tennis

By: hailstate.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State's women's tennis team defeated the Troy Trojans 4-3 Friday in a fierce battle at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre that featured four three-set matches in singles competition. The Lady Bulldogs improved to 5-0 overall which is one win shy of tying the best start in school history (2005 & 2003). Troy dropped to 2-6 on the season.

MSU grabbed the doubles point with wins at the No. 3 and No. 2 doubles positions. On court No. 3, the State duo of Daniela Juskova and Valeriya Makarycheva defeated Leonie Guijt and Caroline Joanin 8-3. State then nabbed the doubles point with an 8-5 victory by Renee Joseph and Radka Ferancova at the No. 2 spot, defeating Troy's Stephanie Viera and Mirte de Bakker. To finish out doubles play, the Bulldog tandem of Martina Banikova and Elna de Vililers dropped a tiebreaker to Annabelle Bares and Rawia El Sisi 8-7(4).

In singles play, MSU took a 2-0 match lead when, on court No. 4, Juskova defeated Joanin 6-0, 6-3. Troy would then post back-to-back wins to even the team score at 2-2. Viera defeated Saddler 7-6(4), 6-4 at the No. 6 position and El Sisi defeated Banikova at the No. 1 position 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Mississippi State would go back on top 3-2 with a win at the No. 3 position where Ferancova would fight back after losing the second set to claim a gutsy 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 victory over de Bakker.

Then at the No. 2 position, after losing the first set, the MSU senior Joseph would fight back in the second 6-4 to force a third and decisive set. Joseph and Bares then battled to a third-set tiebreaker, where Bares would serve for the match at 6-5. However, Joseph would win the next three points to clinch the win and the match for the Lady Bulldogs.

Joseph's win was big as, in the final singles match, de Villiers fell in another close matchup to Troy's Guijt 7-5, 0-6, 6-4 on court No. 5.

"This match goes to Renee [Joseph] and Radka [Ferancova]," said head coach Tracy Lane after the match. "Those two girls, as well as our whole team played with a lot of heart today."

Mississippi State will play again Sunday at home against the Jaguars of South Alabama. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Mississippi State 4, Troy 3
February 22, 2008 ? Starkville, Miss.

DOUBLES ? Annabelle Bares/Rawia El Sisi (Troy) def. Martina Banikova/Elna de Villiers (MSU) 8-7(4); Radka Ferancova/Renee Joseph (MSU) def. Stephanie Viera/Mirte de Bakker (Troy) 8-5; Daniela Juskova/Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) def. Caroline Joanin (Troy) 8-3.
SINGLES ?El Sisi (Troy) def. Banikova (MSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; Joseph (MSU) def. Bares (Troy) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6); Ferancova (MSU) def. de Bakker (Troy) 7-5, 1-6, 6-2; Juskova (MSU) def. Joanin (Troy) 6-0, 6-3; Guijt (Troy) def. de Villiers (MSU) 7-5, 6-0, 4-6; Viera (Troy) def. Saddler (MSU) 7-6(4), 6-4.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)